Portable domestic ironing machine with friction drive



Dec. 18, 1951 I 2,578,928

F. M. FREIS PORTABLE DOMESTIC IRONING MACHINE WITH FRICTION DRIVE FiledFeb. 12, 1945 r 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig]. 1.

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Dec. 18, 1951 FRElg 2,578,928

PORTABLE DOMESTIC IRONING MACHINE WITH FRICTION DRIVE Fig- 5.

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fillgs Dec. 18, 1951 F. M. FREIS PORTABLE DOMESTIC IRONING MACHINE WITHFRICTION DRIVE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb. 12, 1945 v T MS i Z E N n Ffl A A E sw WIN W \1: l w c X E m I -l mm W-F\.W 1 1w v m 8? m V mm I Iw w U @m om m mm Q .vm mm @v ww ow 3 i mm mm on mm llfmm. F @m mm mm; 3

Dec. 18, 1951 F. M. FRElS PORTABLE DOMESTIC IRONING MACHINE WITHFRICTION DRIVE 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Feb. 12, 1945 S s l luau: (4275 51LO 8 w JUL/E17 [UP FFEUEFICI'K M- F'FEIS Min/.0

I mm 2 mm E R J 2 H E N a R P Q 9 Dec. 18, 1951 F. M. FRElS PORTABLEDOMESTIC IRONING MACHINE WITH FRICTION DRIVE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb.12, 1945 "22m, 012 j Ame/S Patented Dec. 18, 1951 F B AB E DOMES R N NMACH N wrrn FRICTION DRIVE Frederick M. Freis, Chicago, Ill., assignor,by

mesne assignments, to Conlon-Moore Corporation, Cicero, 111;, acorporation of Delaware Application December 12, 1945, Serial No.634,419

6 Claims. 1

lhis invention relates to ironing machines and has to do with machinesintended for domestic or home use.

My invention is directed to an ironing machine of the character statedwhich is of exceptionally light weight and is of compact and sturdyconstruction, so as to be readily portable while occupying but littlestorage space and being long lived. Further, the machine of my inventioncomprises comparatively few' parts, many of which may be formed asstampings, and may be produced at low cost. The roll is driven from asuitable motor, through a driving train compris ing a terminal gearmovable into and out of driving engagement with a gear fixed to themotor shaft, whereby the motor may run free of parts driven thereby inthe ironing operation, when the roll is stopped in the intervals betweenthe pas.- sage through the machine of articles being ironed. That isdesirable as permitting free turning 01 the roll in either direction forpositioning thereon of articles to be ironed, while also conservingelectrical energy for driving the machine, when an electric motor isused. The roll driving train comprises means whereby the terminal gearand the motor shaft gear are held in pressure contact for driving theroll, and the pressure between the gears increases with increasinresistance to rotation of the roll. That is advantageous; par ticularlywhen friction gears are used; as preventing objectionable slippa ebetween the gears and thereby assuring proper drive of the roll, Prefsralh h m c e ompr s a r ll and a operating shoe moved to and from the rollby'a pentrol' lever. This lever has an inoperative posit on. t d whichit s eldin l ur d; and an operative position, means being" provided forramma c ll l king h leverv in s ati position and readily releasing it,when desired, for movement to inoperative position. The lever, in itsmovement from its operative position to its inoperative position; andvice versa, movesthe terminal gear of the roll driving train out of andinto driving engagement with the motor shaft gear for driving andstopping the roll, with the advantages above mentioned. Furtherobjectsand advant ges Qfmy invention will appear from the detail description.

' In the drawings:

the machine of Figure l, with certain parts broken away and the shoecover omitted, the gear housin'g cover also being omitted and the gearhousing being in part broken away and shown in section;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 4+6 of Figure3, with the gear housing cover in position and certain parts shown inelevation';

Figure 5 is a sectional view, on a reduced scale, taken substantially online 5-5 of Figure 3', with the control lever in its upper orinoperative position, certain parts being shown in elevation and theterminal gear of the roll driving train being shown fragmentarily and inelevation;

Figure 6 is a View similar to Figure 5 but with the control lever in itslower or operative position';

Figure 7' is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on linel-J of Figure 4; and

Figure 8 is a fragmentary sectional View taken substantially on line8-.-8 of Figure 4.

The machine of my invention comprises a suitable base l0, convenientlyformed as a stamping from sheet metal, of hollow construction, oblong inplan and of appropriate width and length. Base l0 carries at one endthereof an upwardly extending gear housing H of substantially U- shapein vertical lengthwise section, comprising inner and outer end walls i2and I 3, respectively, connected by a bight or base element M. Thehousing ll conveniently is formed as a stamping from sheet or platemetal of suitable gauge and the edge portions of the walls i2 and l 3are curved inward, as shown more clearly in Figures 3 and 4 to providereenforcing elements is imparting desired rigidity to these walls. Thebase or bight portion M of gear housing H seats fiatwise on the upperface of base 10 to which it is secured in a suitable known manner,conveniently by bolting. Base Hlhas secured to its depending peripheralflange Ilia, suitably positioned angle brackets l6, spot welded orotherwise suitably secured to flange lfla, these brackets carryingrubber bumpers ll of known type for supporting the machine.

The end walls l2 and I3 of gear housing H decrease in width upward andare shaped as shown in Figures 5 and 6. Aligned bearing bushingsIBextend through walls [2 and I3, at the upper portions thereof, and aresecured thereto in a suitable manner, conveniently by spot welding. Thebushings Iii-receive the outer endportions of a tubular roll shaft 19spanning the interior of housing H and rotatably mounted in bushings 18,this shaft projecting beyond wall i2 inward a considerable distance overbase Iii. A roll 29 is mounted on the inwardly projecting portion ofshaft [9 for rotation therewith. This roll is, in general, of knownconstruction and comprises a sheet metal body or drum 2 l, which may beperforated if desired, as is known, having a cup-shaped disk 22 securedin its outer end in a suitable manner, conveniently by spot welding,there being a second cup-shaped disk 23 secured in drum or body 2| ofroll 29 at about the mid-length thereof. Disk 23 is provided with twospaced slots 24 which receive flat tongues 25 formed integrally withshaft l9, these tongues being bent at an angle, as shown more clearly inFigures 7 and 8, and, in cooperation with the contiguous portions of theinner end of shaft [9, restraining the roll against relative movementlengthwise of shaft l9 while also, in cooperation with disk 23, securingthe roll 29 to shaft is for rotation therewith. Roll 20 is provided witha suitable covering or pad 26, as is known. It will be understood thatwithin the broader aspects of my invention the roll may be of any othersuitable construction and may be attached to shaft l9 in any othersuitable manner.

A sprocket wheel 28, comprising a disk 29, which may be stamped fromsheet steel of suitable gauge and temper, and a stepped hub 33 on whichdisk 29 is secured, is mounted on roll shaft l9 and secured thereto in asuitable manner, conveniently by a cotter pin 3| passing through hub 39and shaft l9. Hub 30 of sprocket wheel 28, contacts bushing l8 securedin end wall 12 of housing H and in cooperation therewith restrains rollshaft I9 against endwise movement relative to the gear housing. A yoke32, of substantially inverted U-shape, is loosely mounted at its upperportion on shaft I9, outward beyond sprocket wheel 28, for swingingmovement thereon. A spacer disk 33 is mounted loosely on shaft l9between the inner end of hub 30 of sprocket wheel 28 and the inner armof yoke 32 and, in conjunction with a spacing collar 34 mounted loose onshaft is between the outer arm of yoke 32 and the inner end of bushingIS in wall [3, restrains yoke 32 against relative movement lengthwise ofshaft l9. The spacer disk 33 may be stamped from sheet metal of suitablegauge, as will be understood. The outer end of roll shaft l9 and of thebushing [3 in wall l3 of housing ll preferably is closed by a flangedcap 35 fitting tightly over the outer end of bushing l8, as shown, whichcap conveniently is also stamped from sheet metal.

A countershaft 31 is rotatably mounted in bushings 38 and 39 securedthrough the lower ends of arms 49 and 4|, respectively, of yoke 32.

The inner end portion of shaft 31 is reduced in diameter and has fixedthereon, by a pin 42, a sprocket wheel 43 of small diameter relative tosprocket wheel 28. A sprocket chain 45, which may be of any suitableknown type, passes about the sprocket wheels 28 and 43 establishingdriving connection therebetween. It will be apparent that yoke 32 swingsabout the axis of roll shaft 19, which is also the axis of rotation ofsprocket wheel 28, so that the distance between the sprocket wheels 28and 43 remains constant in the swinging movement of yoke 32.

A friction transmission gear 41 is suitably secured on the outer end ofcountershaft 31, this gear comprising a disk 43 conveniently stampedfrom sheet metal and a rim secured on disk 48. Sprocket wheel 43 anddisk 48 contact the bushings 39 and 38, respectively, and in cooperationtherewith restrain the counter shaft 31 against endwise movementrelative to yoke 32, as will be understood from Figure 4 of thedrawings. The rim 59 of gear 41 may be formed of rubber, either naturalor synthetic, secured to or bonded to disk 48 in a known manner. Rim 59also may be formed of other material, as will be explained more fullylater. The gear 41 constitutes the terminal gear of a drivin train fordriving the roll shaft [9, this train including the counter shaft 31,sprocket wheels 43 and 28 and the sprocket chain 45, as will be readilyunderstood.

An electric motor 52, of suitable known type, is mounted in the lowerrearward portion of gear housing II and is anchored in position thereinin a suitable manner. Conveniently, through bolts 53 pass through thebase or bight portion [4 of gear housing II and, at their upper endportions, through the ends of a clamp plate 54 extending across the topof motor 52, these bolts receiving nuts 55 threading on their upper endsfor forcing plate 54 toward the bottom of the gear housing.Conveniently, motor 52 is provided at its upper and lower faces withprojections or pads 55 and rubber cushions 51 are disposed between thevpads 56 and clamp plate 54 and bight element or base l4 of housing H,respectively. The rubber cushions 51 prevent transmission ofobjectionable vibration from the motor to the gear housing, as will beunderstood, and the through bolts 53 and associated parts anchor themotor 52 firmly in position within the housing. The top wall of base I9of the machine is provided with suitable openings which accommodate theheads of bolts 53, at the lower ends thereof, to permit of removal ofthe gear housing and the parts contained therein as a unit, from thebase I0, without necessity of removing the bolts 53.

Armature shaft 59 of motor 52 projects outward toward the outer endplate l3 of motor housing H. Shaft 59 is knurled for a portion of itslength, at 60, to provide a friction gear. Ob-

viously, if desired, instead of knurling shaft 59 a suitable gear may besecured thereon. In either case, the motor drive or armature shaft 59 isprovided with a gear secured thereon. for cooperation with gear 41.

It will be noted that countershaft 31 is parallel with and in front ofthe motor drive shaft 59 and, as above stated, is disposed adjacent thelower end of the yoke 32. A tension spring 62 is anchored at itsrearward end to arm 4| of yoke 32 and, at its forward end, to a post 63secured in the inner end wall l2 of gear housing H. This tension spring62 urges yoke 32 in a forward direction about roll shaft l9, into itsposition shown in Figure 5, movement of yoke 32 in that direction beinglimited by a stop member 64 secured to yoke arm 4| and projectingforward thereof for contact with a second post 65 secured in wall 12 andin a reenforcing strip or pad 66 spot welded or otherwise suitablysecured to this wall. When the roll shaft I9 is not being driven, yoke32 is held by tension spring 52 in its forward position shown in Figure5, gear 41 being then disposed forward of gear of the motor drive shaft59, out of engagement therewith, as shown in Figure 5. The motor 52 isthen completely disconnected from the roll driving train and may rotatefreely thereof without driving any part of the mechanism, other than themotor shaft itself, for transmitting power from the motor to the rollshaft. That is advantageous in that the motor, which may be a fractionalhorsepower motor of comparatively small output, may continue to operateduring the intervals in which the articles to be ironed are beingarranged upon the roll 2i], without consuming an appreciable amount ofelectric current, which is conducive to conserving the electrical energyrequired to drive the machine, while avoiding necessity of repeatedlystopping and starting the motor with resultant comparatively largeconsumption of current. It will also be noted that when gear :37 is inits forward or inoperative position shown in Figure 5, the roll 2]] mayreadily be turned in either direction, with its shaft i9, for properpositioning thereon of articles to be ironed, which facilitates theironing operation.

Roll as has associated therewith a cooperating shoe 5% which is, ingeneral, of known .construc tion and a brief description of which willsuffice. Shoe 158 has a face plate 69 shaped conformably to thecurvature of roll 2%, and a sheet metal cover is providing, with plate69, a housing enclosing the resistors .or heating elements. The heatingelements are secured in position within the shoe, by screw studs llwelded or otherwise suitably secured to base plate 853, these studsreceiving nuts 12 screwing on their .rearward ends. Two of the studs Hsecure a pair of angle brackets 14 (Figure 3) to the shoe inspacedrelation with their arms extending rearward thereof. The brackets itreceive the end portions of a pivot pin 15 suitably secured, as byrivets 16, to the upper end of a leaf spring ll of suitable strength andrigidity for supporting the shoe 63 for movement to and from roll 23,spring El being properly tempered for holding the shoe to the roll underappropriate spring pressure during the actual ironing operation. Arelatively short leaf spring i8 is clamped, at its upper portion,between pin 15 and spring I! and extends at a downward and forwardinclination therefrom into contact with clamp plate 190i shoe 6.8,effective for restraining the. shoe against downward movement to anobjectionable extent about pin 15, when it is in its position away fromthe .roll, as shown in Figure 5. An electric cord 88 (Figures l and 2),provided at its free end with a plug cap 8| of known type, is lead intothe gear housing ll and,has suitable. connection to the motor 52. Ifdesired, a switch 82 of known type may be provided for controlling themotor circuit and, also, controlling the circuit of theheating elementsof the shoe, as will be explained more fully presently, and the gearhousing may be provided with a translucent panel or bullis eye 83illuminated by a light within the gear housing so long as the motorcircuit is closed. Under ordinary conditions, the motor 52 is intendedto remain in operation so long as the machine is in use, and the switch82 and the bulls eye 83 may be omitted if desired. The electricalconnection to the switch .82 and to the light for illuminating the bullseye 83, when provided, may be of conventional type and need not beillustrated nor further described here.

The lower portion of leaf spring 11 extends diametrically through a rolloperating shaft 85 disposed in back of shoe 68 below and paralleltherewith and rocka. ly mounted, at its outer portion, in end walls I2and I3 of'gear housing II, this shoe operating shaft being mounted inback of mctortfi, as shown. Leaf spring H, is secured in shaft 85in anysuitable manner, conveniently by means of cap screws 86. Theupp'er endof spring I fits snugly; but not tightly, between the brackets 14 and incooperationtherewith restrains pin '15 against lengthwise movementthrough these brackets. angle bracket 81 is suitably secured, as bybolting, to the top wall of base it of the machine, with its verticalarm-88 fitting snugly but no-ttightly about shoe operating shaft and incontact with the outer edge of leaf spring l-"i adjaoentrthe lower endthereof. It will be that the shoe i3 8 isdisposed in back of roll 20 andmay be movedto :and from the latter by turning the shoe operating shaft.85 in proper directions. To that end, I provide a shoe operating andcontrol lever which, in addition to moving the shoe to and from theroll, also con-. trols the drive of the roll, .as will be explained.

The shoe operating and control lever 38 com-.- prises a main section SIand a handle section 52, pivoted to section-9:5 ,at .93, for relativemovement about a horizontal axis. Section 9.2 is provided with anangularly disposed finger or which underlies the lower edge .of sectionill and restrains handle section 92 against relative downward movementabout pivot 93 beyond its normal position in alignment with section Bi,as shown in Figures 5 and v6. Main section 9.! of lever Si) .is ofapproximately L-shape in plan (Figure 3), with its forwardly extendingarm fitting snugly, but not tightly, around shoe shaft 85 and connected,at its. rearward .end,wby an offset element 9.6., to anoutwardlyextending arm s1: parallel with shaft 85 and fixed thereto,conveniently by .a bolt 98.. It will be apparent that when lever ismoved downward, from its position shown in Figure 5 to its positionshown in Figure 6, shoe operating shaft 85 is turned in counterclockwise.direction efiective for moving shoe 6.8 forward into cooperationrelation to roll 20, leaf spring ll being then flexed and serving toholdthe shoe against the roll, or against an article passing between theroll and the shoe, under suitable spring pressure. The shoe- 63 isheated by resistorsv .of known type, as above indicated, .for whichpurpose an armored cable 100, of known type, is led from gear housing II through the tubular shoe shaft 85 and thence to the shoe 88, thelatter preferably being provided with an adjustable heat controlthermostat HH of known type. The electrical connections to the shoe andto the thermostat will be readily understood, are not of the essence ofmy invention and need not be illustrated nor described in greaterdetail. The leaf spring H. is .quite strong and rigid and the tubularshaft 85 .is subjected "to a certain amount of twist or torsion when theshoe is in cooperating relation to the roll, thus serving, in effect, asa torsion member or spring which supplements spring H to assure adequatepressure between the shoe and articles being ironed. The brackets 14 arelocated at about the mid-length of shoe 68 and the disk 23 is located atabout the mid-length of roll Zil, to the end of uniform distribution ofpressure and proper aligning of the shoe with the roll.

Lever 9!] is urged upward by .a tension spring 1512 anchored at itslower end, by a pin I93, to the main lever section BI and, at its upperend. to a pin I04 secured to the inner end wall or plate l2 of gearhousing H. In the raised or inoperative position of lever 90, spring H32serves as a counterbalance for holding the shoe 53 in its rearwardposition shown in Figure 5,

upward movement of lever 90 being positively limited by means to bedescribed presently.

A downwardly and forwardly inclined leaf spring I05, having an angularlydisposed arm I06, is suitably secured, conveniently by bolting, to afinger I! projecting outward from the lower end of arm 4| of yoke 32. Apin I09 is secured to lever section 9|, in position to contact springI05 in the downward movement of lever 90 and to be moved clear of springI05 in the upward movement of the lever. Duringdown ward movement oflever 90, from its inoperative position shown in Figure 5 to itsoperative position shown in Figure 6, pin I09 contacts spring I05 anddisplaces it rearward, thereby swinging the yoke 32 in counterclockwisedirection, from its position of Figure 5 into its positon of Figure 6.That brings the relatively soft face of the terminal or transmissiongear 41 into contact with the gear 50 of motor shaft 59, as lever 99approaches the limit of its downward movement, and in the furtherdownward movement of lever 90 spring I05 is flexed so that gear 41 isthen held in pressure contact with gear 60, as shown in Figure 6.Downward movement of lever 90 is limited by a rubber bumper II2 mountedon bight portion or base element I4 of the gear housing II, the top wallof base I0 being provided with a suitable opening to accommodate theusual stem or stud of bumper II2, as will be understood. When lever 90is in its lower or operative position, roll is driven by motor 52, aswill be understood, and is rotated in clockwise direction, as viewed inFigure 6, for feeding the articles being ironed between the roll and theshoe. Since the countershaft 3'! is in front of motor shaft 59 andadjacent the lower end of yoke 32, it will be clear that when roll 20 isdriven the rearward strand or run of sprocket chain 45 is the tensionstrand. Accordingly, countershaft 37, and with it gear 41, is urgedtoward motor shaft 59 by the pull of the rearward strand of the sprocketchain, and that pull increases with resistance to rotation of roll 20.In that manner I assure driving pressure contact between the gears 31and 60 such that the pressure between these gears increases withincreasing resistance to rotation of roll 20. That is of importance,since articles ironed by the machine of my invention may vary widelywith respect to the resistance to rotation of roll 20 offered by sucharticles, and where a friction drive is employed there would belikelihood of objectionable slippage between the friction members,during ironing of articles offering relatively high resistance torotation of the roll, unless that were guarded against. Since thepressure between the friction gears 41 and 60 increases with increasingresistance to rotation of roll 20, no objectionable slippage occurs and,by using a constant speed motor, which is preferred, I assure that roll20 is driven at proper ironing speed regardless of the article beingironed. While I have referred to the facing of gear 41 as being formedof rubber or like resilient or elastic material, such facing may be of arelatively soft metal, or other material, such as to assure a firm griptherewith of the serrated gear element 60 of motor shaft 59. As aboveindicated, if desired a separate gear may be secured on the motor shaft59 and this gear may be a friction gear or a tooth gear, in which lattercase the gear 41 would likewise be a tooth gear thus providing apositive drive as distinguished from a friction drive. In the case of apositive drive, the pull of the rearward strand of sprocket chain 45 iseffective for holding the gear 4'! to the gear of the motor shaft. Itwill be clear that my invention comprehends, in its broader aspects, theuse of either positive gears or friction gears, though possessingdefinite advantages with respect to the latter, as above pointed out.When the lever is moved from its lower operative position of Figure 6 toits upper inoperative position of Figure 5, pin I09 is moved upwardclear of spring I05 and yoke 32 is returned to its forward position bytension spring 62, moving gear 4'! forward out of contact or engagementwith gear 60. That completely disconnects the motor 52 from the drivingtrain of roll 20, with the advantages above stated.

It is desirable that the operator have her hands free for smoothing onthe roll 20 articles to be ironed, before they reach the area of theshoe. To that end I provide means for locking the lever 99 in itslowered or operative position, this means being automatic and readilyreleasable as desired for moving the shoe away from the roll. A lockingpawl H5 is freely mounted at its upper end on pin or post 65 forswinging movement forward and rearward of the gear housing II. Pawl H5is provided at its lower end with a V-shaped element II6 and, adjacentthereto; with a forwardly extending finger II'I having an outturned lipH8. A wire torsion spring II9 is suitably mounted on post 85, thisspring having a downwardly extending arm E20 bearing against therearward face of lip H8, and an upwardly extending arm I2I which ishooked about post 63. Torsion spring Ii9 urges pawl H5 in clockwisedirection about post 65, as will be clear. Movement of pawl H5 in thatdirection is limited by a finger I22 of lever handle section 92extending upward therefrom. When lever 90 is in its lowered or operativeposition shown in Figure 6, the point at the lower end of pawl H5 is incontact with the upper edge of main section 9| of lever 90, pawl II5being then substantially in vertical position effective for lockinglever 90 in its operative position. In order to release lever 90, handlesection 92 thereof is moved upward a slight distance, substantially intoits position indicated in dot and dash lines in Figure 6. In this upwardmovement of handle section 92, finger I22 thereof displaces the pawl II5rearward to substantially its position indicated in dot and dash lines,and further upward movement of handle section 92 displaces pawl II5 afurther distance rearward, this rearward movement of pawl II5 releasingthe main lever section 9i for upward movement by tension spring I02. Aslever section 9| moves upward pawl H5 is swung rearward and upwardthereby into its position shown in Figure 5. At that time, the upperedge of main lever section SM is in contact with the lower edge of pawlII5 adjacent post 65, thus providing a stop positively limiting upwardmovement of lever section 9I. Thereafter the lever is held in its raisedor inoperative position by tension spring I02, as will be clear fromFigure 5, until the lever 90 is again returned to its lowered oroperative position and locked therein by pawl II5, as has beenexplained. I thus provide simple and highly efficient means wherebylever 90 may be locked automatically in its operative position, leavingboth hands of the operator free for smoothing articles on the roll 20,and this lever may as 9 readily be released, for movement of shoe 68away from roll 20.

The end walls or plates I2 and I3.of gear housing II are connected bycross braces I25 bolted or otherwise suitably secured thereto. Anglebrackets I25 are spot welded or otherwise suitably secured to bightelement Id of gear housing II midway between the end walls thereof. Thecross braces I25 and the brackets I28 are suitably bored and tapped forreception of screws securing a sheet metal cover IZ'I, shaped as shownin Figures 5 and 6, thereto between the end plates of the gear housing.Cover 52? is provided at each side edge thereof with a suitably shapedrubber beading I28 extending about the edge portions of end plates I2and I3 of gear housing II, providing cushioning means effective toprevent objectionable vibration or metallic contact between the parts.Preferably, rubber pads I29 are provided at each lower corner'of gearhousing II and at each of the brackets I25, the lower edges of cover I28seating on the pads I29, the latter serving to prevent metallic contactand objectionable vibration of the parts.

It will be seen that the ironing machine of my invention is of simpleand inexpensive construction and is of exceptionally light weight, suchthat it may conveniently and safely be lifted by a housewife, or womanor girl, of ordinary or average physical strength. Since the shoeoperating and control lever 90 is of considerable length, the shoe maybe moved in cooperating relation to the roll without objectionableeffort, and the tension spring I02 is effective for moving the shoe awayfrom the roll, so that but little effort is required in the use ofthemachine. It will be understood, as above indicated, that changes inconstruction and arrangement of parts of the ironing machine of myinvention may be resorted to without departing from the field and scopeof my invention, and I intend to include all such variations, as fallwithin the scope of the appended claims, in this application in which apreferred form only of my invention has been disclosed.

I claim:

1. In an ironing machine, a roll, a rockably mounted shoe shaft in backof said roll, a shoe carried by said shaft movable thereby to and fromsaid roll, a lever fixed to said shaft extending forwardly therefromhaving an upper inoperative position in which said shoe is away fromsaid roll and movable downward to a lower operative position in whichsaid shoe is moved to said roll, yielding means urging said lever towardits upper position, a motor having a drive shaft with a gear thereon, aswinging support yieldingly urged away from said motor shaft, means forestablishing and disestablishing driving connection between said motorand said roll comprising a transmission gear in front of said motorshaft carried by said support movable therewith rearward and forwardinto and out of driving engagement with said motor shaft gear, and adownwardly and forwardly inclined resilient cam member secured to saidsupport, said lever having a cam member disposed to contact said supportcam member and thereby move said transmission gear into drivingengagement with said motor shaft gear in the downward movement of saidlever and to clear said support cam member and thereby free said supportmember for forward movement thereof into position with said transmissiongear disengaged from said mo- 10 tor shaft gear in the upward movementof said lever.

2. In an ironing machine having a roll, a rockably mounted shoeoperating shaft in back of said roll and a shoe movable by said shaft toand from said roll; a motor, a control lever comprising a main sectionfixed to said shaft extending forward therefrom and a handle sectionpivoted to said main section for relative upward movement from a normallower position and restrained against downward movement relative to saidmain section from such normal lower position, said lever beingyieldingly urged upward into an inoperative position in which said shoeis away from said roll and being movable downward into an operativeposition in which said shoe is in cooperating relation to said roll,means for establishing and disestablishing driving connection betweensaid roll and said motor responsive to movement of said lever from itsinoperative position to its operative position and vice versa, a fixedsupport and a locking pawl pivoted thereon above said lever yieldinglyurged forward, said pawl and said handle section having cooperatingmeans positioning said pawl in contact with said lever effective forlooking it in operative position, when said lever is lowered and saidhandle section is in its said normal position relative to said mainsection, and effective for displacing said pawl rearward therebyreleasing said lever for upward movement upon upward movement of saidhandle section relative to said main section.

3. In an ironing machine, a roll, a rockably mounted shoe shaft in backof saidroll, a shoe carried by said shaft movable thereby to and fromsaid roll, a lever fixed to said shaft extending forwardly therefromhaving an upper inoperative position in which said shoe is away fromsaid roll and movable downward to a lower operative position in whichsaid shoe is moved to said roll, a motor having a drive shaft with agear thereon, a swinging support yieldingly urged away from said motorshaft, means for establishing and disestablishing driving connectionbetween said motor .and said roll comprising a transmission gear infront of said motor shaft carried by said support movable therewithrearward and forward into and out of driving engagement with said motorshaft gear, a downwardly and forwardly inclined resilient cam membersecured to said support, and a cam member carried by said lever disposedto contact said support cam member and thereby move said transmissiongear into driving engagement with said motor shaft gear in the downwardmovement of said lever and to clear said support cam member and therebyfree said support for forward movement thereof into position with saidtransmission gear disengaged from said motor shaft gear in the upwardmovement of said lever.

4. In an ironing machine, a roll, a rockably mounted shoe shaft in backof said roll, a shoe carried by said shaft movable thereby to and fromsaid roll, a lever fixed to said shaft extending forwardly therefromhaving an upper inoperative position in which said shoe is away fromsaid roll and movable downward to a lower operative position in whichsaid shoe is moved to said roll, a motor having a drive shaft with agear thereon, a swinging support yieldingly urged away from said motorshaft, means for establishing and disestablishing driving connectionbetween said motor and said roll comprising a transmission gear in frontof said motor shaft carried by said support movable therewith rearwardand forward into and out of driving en gagement with said motor shaftgear, a downwardly and forwardly inclined cam member secured to saidsupport, and a cam member carried by said lever disposed to contact saidsupport cam member and thereby move said transmission gear into drivingengagement with said motor shaft gear in the downward movement of saidlever and to clear said support cam member and thereby free said supportfor forward movement thereof into position with said transmission geardisengaged from said motor shaft gear in the upward movement of saidlever.

5. In an ironing machine, a roll, a rockably mounted shoe shaft in backof said roll, a shoe carried by said shaft movable thereby to and fromsaid roll, a lever fixed to said shaft extending forwardly therefromhaving an upper inoperative position in which said shoe is away fromsaid roll and movable downward to a lower operative position in whichsaid shoe is moved to said roll, a motor having a drive shaft with agear thereon, a swinging support yieldingly urged away from said motorshaft, means for establishing and disestablishing driving connectionbetween said motor and said roller comprising a transmission gear infront of said motor shaft carried by said support movable therewithrearward and forward into and out of driving engagement with said motorshaft gear, a cam member carried by said support, and a second cammember carried by said lever disposed to contact said support cam memberin the downward movement of said lever and to clear said support cammember and thereby free said support for forward movement thereof intoposition with said transmission gear disengaged from said motor shaftgear in the upward movement of said lever, one of said cam members beinginclined downwardly and forwardly effective for moving said transmissiongear into driving engagement with said motor shaft gear in the downwardmovement of said lever. I

6. In an ironing machine, a roll, a rockably mounted shoe shaft in backof said roll, a shoe carried by said shaft movable thereby to and fromsaid roll, a lever fixed to said shaft extending forwardly therefrom andmovable about the axis of said shaft to an inoperative position in whichsaid shoe is away from said roll and an operative position in which saidshoe is moved to said roll, a motor having a drive shaft with a gearthereon, a swinging support yieldingly urged away from said motor shaft,means for establishing and disestablishing driving connection betweensaid motor and said roll comprising a transmission gear in front of saidmotor shaft carried by said support movable therewith rearward andforward into and out of driving engagement with said motor shaft gear, acam member carried by said support, and a second cam member carried bysaid lever disposed to contact said support cam member in the movementof said lever to operative position and to clear said support cam memberand thereby free said support for forward movement thereof into positionwith said transmission gear disengaged from said motor shaft gear in themovement of said lever to inoperative position, one of said cam membersbeing inclined effective for moving said transmission gear into drivingengagement with said motor shaft gear in the movement of said lever tooperative position.

FREDERICK M. FREIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 223,232 Kohler Jan. 6, 18801,339,917 Bond May 11, 1920 1,468,414 Pope Sept. 18, 1923 1,559,104Jensen Oct. 27, 1925 1,618,400 York Feb. 22, 1927 1,632,094 Newsham eta1 June 14, 1927 1,795,023 Gordon Mar. 3, 1931 1,889,947 Carlson Dec. 6,1932 1,930,800 Gordon Oct. 17, 1933 1,979,561 Lewis Nov. 6, 19342,071,888 McCabe Feb. 23, 1937 2,149,057 Kohl Feb. 28, 1939 2,341,701Dudley et a1 Feb. 15, 1944

